Do male and female swans differ in their response to humans?

In this study, we investigated how flight responses of black swans are related to their distance from safety (i.e. water). As predicted, swans further from water initiated a flight response earlier than those nearer water. Furthermore, females tended to respond earlier than males, and were more likely to take flight when approached from the water than from land or parallel to the shore. This suggests that they are sensitive to the degree of danger, and that males are bolder than females when confronted with danger.

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Did you know?

An adult male swan is called a cob (from Middle English cobbe (leader of a group). An adult female swan is called a pen, and baby swans are called cygnets (from the Latin word cygnus ("swan") and the Old French suffix -et ("little").

2015-05-11T02:20:03+00:00

An adult male swan is called a cob (from Middle English cobbe (leader of a group). An adult female swan is called a pen, and baby swans are called cygnets (from the Latin word cygnus ("swan") and the Old French suffix -et ("little").

http://www.myswan.org.au/index.php/testimonials/15/

The Black Swan is protected under the Australian National Parks and Wildlife Act, 1974. It is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

2015-05-11T02:23:39+00:00

The Black Swan is protected under the Australian National Parks and Wildlife Act, 1974. It is evaluated as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

http://www.myswan.org.au/index.php/testimonials/32/

A colony of Black Swans in Dawlish, Devon has become so well associated with the town that the bird has been the town's emblem for

2015-05-11T02:23:29+00:00

A colony of Black Swans in Dawlish, Devon has become so well associated with the town that the bird has been the town's emblem for

http://www.myswan.org.au/index.php/testimonials/31/

The current global population of black swans is estimated to be up to 500,000 individuals.

2015-05-11T02:23:19+00:00

The current global population of black swans is estimated to be up to 500,000 individuals.

http://www.myswan.org.au/index.php/testimonials/30/

Black swans occur over large parts of Australia, with estimates of their range varying from 1 to 10 million square kilometers.

2015-05-11T02:23:10+00:00

Black swans occur over large parts of Australia, with estimates of their range varying from 1 to 10 million square kilometers.